Refrigerator

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a refrigerator having a home bar. The refrigerator has a reinforcement unit that supports a pair of rotating shafts to securely assemble the rotating shafts with a home bar door such that the rotating shafts securely support the home bar door. The refrigerator includes a home bar door, a pair of support members provided in the home bar door symmetrically to each other, and a connection member connecting the support members to each other. The support members are integrally formed with the connection member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2008-0097019 filed on Oct. 2, 2008, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present invention relates to a refrigerator having a home bar. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a refrigerator having ahome bar which is securely assembled with a refrigerator door by areinforcement unit.

2. Description of the Related Art

A refrigerator is an appliance that supplies cold air generated througha refrigerating cycle to a storage compartment to keep foods fresh for along period of time. In general, the refrigerator includes a body thatforms a storage compartment in which food is stored, and at least onedoor that is pivotably installed to the body to open/close the storagecompartment.

The door is formed with an opening communicated with the storagecompartment and a home bar is installed in the opening. A user can takeout the food or beverages from the storage compartment or can put thefood or beverages into the storage compartment through the home barwithout opening the door. For instance, a storage space is formed insidethe door that is opened/closed by the home bar such that the user canput food and beverages into the storage space or take out the food andbeverages. That is, the home bar is additionally installed to the doorand the user can easily put in/take out the food and beverages byopening/closing the home bar. Thus, it is not necessary to frequentlyopen/close the door, so that leakage of cold air can be prevented.

In addition, since the home bar is horizontally arranged in the openstate, the user can put the food or beverages on the home bar. Thisconfiguration of the home bar may improve convenience of the user, butrequire an additional support structure to allow the home bar to behorizontally maintained. Such a support structure must have sufficientstrength to support the weight of the home bar as well as the weight ofthe food and beverages placed on the home bar.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide arefrigerator capable of securely maintaining a home bar door such thatthe home bar door is not inclined by supporting the home bar door usinga reinforcement unit installed in the home bar door.

Additional aspects and/or advantages will be set forth in part in thedescription which follows and, in part, will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are achievedby providing a refrigerator including a home bar which includes a homebar door, a pair of support members provided in the home bar doorsymmetrically to each other, and a connection member to connect thesupport members to each other.

The support members are integrally formed with the connection member.

The support members and the connection member are installed in the homebar door.

The support members have a pair of rotating shaft receptacles and a pairof rotating shafts are inserted into the rotating shaft receptacles.

The home bar door is formed with a pair of perforation holes and therotating shafts extend by passing through the perforation holes.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are alsoachieved by providing a refrigerator including a home bar which includesa home bar door, a reinforcement unit extending in one direction alongthe home bar door, and a pair of rotating shafts installed in thereinforcement unit symmetrically to each other.

The reinforcement unit has a pair of rotating shaft receptacles and therotating shafts are inserted into the rotating shaft receptacles.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are alsoachieved by providing a refrigerator including a body, a door installedin the body, a home bar mounting section formed in the door, and a homebar door installed in the home bar mounting section, wherein the homebar door includes a pair of rotating shafts rotatably installed in thehome bar mounting section and a reinforcement unit, and wherein therotating shafts are inserted into the reinforcement unit symmetricallyto each other.

The reinforcement unit is fabricated through a die casting process.

The refrigerator further includes a reinforcement bracket fixed to thedoor, and the reinforcement bracket includes a stopper for restrictingrotation of the home bar door.

The foregoing and/or other aspects of the present invention are alsoachieved by providing a refrigerator including a body, a door installedin the body, a home bar mounting section formed in the door, a home bardoor installed in the home bar mounting section, a pair of rotatingshafts rotatably supporting the home bar door in the home bar mountingsection, and a reinforcement unit installed in the home bar door tosupport the rotating shafts, wherein the reinforcement unit isintegrally fabricated.

The reinforcement unit has a pair of rotating shaft receptacles and therotating shafts are inserted into the rotating shaft receptacles.

As described above, according to the refrigerator according to exampleembodiments, the home bar door can be stably open/closed, so thatreliability of the product can be improved.

In addition, since the reinforcement unit is integrally formed throughthe die casting process, strength of the reinforcement unit can beimproved, so that the home bar door can be securely supported by thereinforcement unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages will become apparent and morereadily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator having a home baraccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a home bar of arefrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a home bar door accordingto an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a home bar according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presentinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements.The embodiments are described below to explain the present invention byreferring to the figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a refrigerator having a home baraccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator according to an embodiment of thepresent invention includes a body 10 having storage compartments 11 and12 storing food therein, and doors 13 and 14 rotatably installed to thebody 10 to open/close the storage compartments 11 and 12. The storagecompartments 11 and 12 are divided by an intermediate wall, into arefrigerating compartment 11 maintaining the food under the lowtemperature and a freezing compartment 12 to freeze the food wall. Therefrigerating compartment 11 is open/closed by a refrigeratingcompartment door 13, and the freezing compartment 12 is open/closed by afreezing compartment door 14. Hinge devices 15 are installed at upperand lower ends of the body 10 to allow the doors 13 and 14 open/closethe storage compartments 11 and 12 while rotating about the hingedevices 15.

A home bar 20 is installed to the refrigerating door 13 to allow theuser to take out food or beverages from the refrigerator without openingthe refrigerating compartment door 13. The home bar 20 includes a homebar mounting section 30 formed in the refrigerating compartment door 13,and a home bar door 40 installed in the home bar mounting section 30.The home bar mounting section 30 is formed with an opening 31communicated with the storage compartments 11 and 12. The home bar door40 is installed in the home bar mounting section 30 to open/close theopening 31 of the home bar mounting section 30. The user can take outfood or beverages from the refrigerator or put the food or beveragesinto the refrigerator by opening the home bar door 40 without openingthe refrigerating compartment door 13. In addition, since the home bardoor 40 is horizontally arranged in the open state, the user can put thefood or beverages on the home bar door 40, so that convenience of theuser can be improved.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the home bar 20 of therefrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the home bar 20 of the refrigerator accordingto an embodiment of the present invention includes the home bar door 40and the home bar mounting section 30 to install the home bar door 40.

The home bar mounting section 30 has a substantially rectangular shapeand the opening 31 is formed at the center of the home bar mountingsection 30. The home bar mounting section 30 is formed in therefrigerating compartment door 13 and a reinforcement bracket 50 isprovided at a lower portion of the home bar mounting section 30. Thereinforcement bracket 50 is partially inserted into the refrigeratingcompartment door 13 such that the reinforcement bracket 50 can besecurely fixed to the refrigerating compartment door 13. Thereinforcement bracket 50 has a substantially “T” shape, and a couplingpart 51 of the reinforcement bracket 50 is fixedly inserted into therefrigerating compartment door 13. As shown in FIG. 4, since thecoupling part 51 is inserted into a foaming material of therefrigerating compartment door 13, the reinforcement bracket 50 can besecurely fixed to the refrigerating compartment door 13 as the foamingmaterial is cured.

The home bar door 40 is rotatably installed in the home bar mountingsection 30. The home bar door 40 is provided at both sides thereof witha pair of rotating shafts 41, and the home bar mounting section 30 isformed at both sides thereof with a pair of holes 33. The rotatingshafts 41 are rotatably inserted into the holes 33, so that the home bardoor 40 is rotatably installed in the home bar mounting section 30.According to the above configuration, since the rotating shafts 41 aresubject to the weight of the home bar door 40, great load is applied tothe rotating shafts 41. In particular, if the rotating shafts 41 do notmaintain the horizontal state due to the assembling tolerance or thelike, the home bar door 40 may be tilted in one direction. In this case,the foodstuffs or the beverages cannot be stably placed on the home bardoor 40. Thus, it is necessary to prevent the home bar door 40 frombeing tilted in one direction, which will be described below in detail.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the home bar door 40according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the home bar door 40 according to anembodiment of the present invention includes a front cover 43 and a rearcover 44 coupled to a rear surface of the front cover 43. The frontcover 43 has a flat plate shape. Decorative glass may be attached to thefront cover 43 to improve the aesthetic appearance. The rear cover 44includes an outer frame 45 and an inner frame 46, which is recessed fromthe outer frame 45 by a predetermined depth. Thus, a space section S isformed between the front and rear covers 43 and 44 as the front cover 43is coupled with the rear cover 44. A foaming material having aninsulating property is filled in the space section S.

In addition, a reinforcement unit 60 is provided in the space section Sformed between the front and rear covers 43 and 44. The reinforcementunit 60 extends along a lower edge of the home bar door 40. Thereinforcement unit 60 may be integrally formed by die casting. Thereinforcement unit 60 has a plurality of holes 63 and the foamingmaterial is uniformly filled in the space section S by passing throughthe holes 63. The reinforcement unit 60 is primarily fixed to the rearcover 44 by a screw 66, and is secondarily fixed to the rear cover 44 asthe foaming material is cured. Thus, the reinforcement unit 60 can besecurely fixed to the home bar door 40.

The reinforcement unit 60 includes a pair of support members 61 intowhich the rotating shafts 41 are inserted, and a connection member 62connecting the support members 61 to each other. As mentioned above, thereinforcement unit 60 is integrally formed through the die castingprocess. However, the connection member 62 may also be installed betweenthe support members 61 after fabricating the connection member 62separately from the support members 61. In this case, the connectionmember 62 can be integrated with the support members 61 through awelding process.

The rotating shafts 41 are installed in the reinforcement unit 60. Indetail, the rotating shafts 41 are installed in the support members 61of the reinforcement unit 60. In addition, the rear cover 44 is formedat both sides thereof with perforation holes 42 corresponding to therotating shafts 41 such that the rotating shafts 41 protrude outward bypassing through the perforation holes 42. Referring again to FIG. 2, theperforation holes 42 are formed at both sides of the home bar door 40 incorrespondence with the rotating shafts 41.

Rotating shaft receptacles 64 are formed in the support members 61 ofthe reinforcement unit 60. The rotating shaft receptacles 64 areprepared in the form of holes having a predetermined depth. Springs 65are primarily accommodated in the rotating shaft receptacles 64 and thenthe rotating shafts 51 are inserted into the rotating shaft receptacles64. In addition, oil dampers are inserted into the rotating shaftreceptacles 64 to allow the home bar door 40 to be easily open/closed. Apair of rotating shaft receptacles 64 are formed corresponding to a pairof the support members 61.

As described above, the support members 61 assembled with the rotatingshafts 41 are integrally formed with the connection member 62, so thatthe rotating shafts 41 may not be tilted in one direction. In addition,since the reinforcement unit 60 is dually fixed to the home bar door 40by the screw and the foaming material, the reinforcement unit 60 can besecurely fixed to the home bar door 50, so that strength of thereinforcement unit 60 can be enhanced. That is, since the reinforcementunit 60 is securely fixed to the home bar door 40, the home bar door 40can be prevented from being tilted in one direction caused by theassembling tolerance, so that the performance and reliability of thehome bar door 40 can be improved.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the home bar 20 according to an embodimentof the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a latch unit 70 is installed at an upperportion of the home bar 20. The latch unit 70 includes a hook member 71installed in the home bar door 40, and a locking member 72 installed inthe home bar mounting section 30. The home bar door 40 is rested in amounting hole 47 of the home bar door 40, and the locking member 72protrudes downward from an upper inner surface of the home bar mountingsection 30. When the home bar door 40 is in the closed state, the hookmember 71 is locked with the locking member 72. In contrast, the hookmember 71 is separated from the locking member 72 when the home bar door40 is in the open state. In particular, FIG. 4 shows the home bar door40 that is horizontally arranged in the open state. At this time, alower end of the home bar door 40 is supported by a stopper 52 of thereinforcement bracket 50. In detail, the rear cover 44 of the home bardoor 40 is supported by the stopper 52 of the reinforcement bracket 50.The user can put the foodstuffs or beverages on the home bar door 40when the home bar door 40 is horizontally arranged.

When the home bar door 40 is horizontally arranged to serve as a shelf,a large load is applied to the rotating shafts 41 as well as the lowerend of the home bar door 40 supported by the stopper 52. As shown inFIG. 3, the rotating shafts 41 are assembled with the support members61, and the support members 61 supporting the rotating shafts 41 areintegrally formed with the connection member 61. Thus, the rotatingshafts 41 can be securely coupled with the support members 61 even if adifferent load is applied to the rotating shafts 41. Since thereinforcement unit 60 includes the support members 61, and theconnection member 62 interposed between the support members 61 and therotating shafts 41 are inserted into both sides of the reinforcementunit 60, the home bar door 40 can be securely supported in the home barmounting section 30. Therefore, the home bar door 40 is prevented frombeing tilted in one direction, so that the home bar door 40 can besmoothly open/closed and can serve as the shelf when the home bar door40 is horizontally arranged in the open state.

Although few embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges may be made in these embodiments without departing from theprinciples and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined inthe claims and their equivalents.

1. A refrigerator comprising: a home bar including: a home bar door; apair of support members provided in the home bar door symmetrically toeach other; and a connection member to connect the support members toeach other.
 2. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesupport members are integrally formed with the connection member.
 3. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support members and theconnection member are installed in the home bar door.
 4. Therefrigerator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support members have apair of rotating shaft receptacles and a pair of rotating shafts,inserted into the rotating shaft receptacles.
 5. The refrigerator asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the home bar door is formed with a pair ofperforation holes and the rotating shafts extend by passing through theperforation holes.
 6. A refrigerator comprising: a home bar including: ahome bar door; a reinforcement unit extending in one direction along thehome bar door; and a pair of rotating shafts installed in thereinforcement unit symmetrically to each other.
 7. The refrigerator asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement unit has a pair ofrotating shaft receptacles and the rotating shafts are inserted into therotating shaft receptacles.
 8. A refrigerator comprising: a body; a doorinstalled in the body; a home bar mounting section formed in the door;and a home bar door installed in the home bar mounting section, whereinthe home bar door includes a pair of rotating shafts rotatably installedin the home bar mounting section and a reinforcement unit, and whereinthe rotating shafts are inserted into the reinforcement unitsymmetrically to each other.
 9. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 8,wherein the reinforcement unit is fabricated through a die castingprocess.
 10. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 8, further comprisinga reinforcement bracket fixed to the door, wherein the reinforcementbracket includes a stopper to restrict rotation of the home bar door.11. A refrigerator comprising: a body; a door installed in the body: ahome bar mounting section formed in the door; a home bar door installedin the home bar mounting section, a pair of rotating shafts rotatablysupporting the home bar door in the home bar mounting section; and areinforcement unit installed in the home bar door to support therotating shafts, wherein the reinforcement unit is integrallyfabricated.
 12. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 11, wherein thereinforcement unit has a pair of rotating shaft receptacles and therotating shafts are inserted into the rotating shaft receptacles.